Politicians should refrain from violence, says Asif

ISLAMABAD:

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Thursday, while condemning the gun attack on PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s container near Wazirabad, said that politicians must believe in dialogue and should refrain from resorting to violence for political point scoring.

Addressing the National Assembly (NA) session chaired by Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf, he said that politics is a name of dialogue through which issues are resolved but it turns out to be violent if hate speech against political opponents is made.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s judicial murder gave birth to violent political culture and later after 90’s the political environment of brotherhood gradually declined, Asif said, adding that the firing incident on Imran is evidence that political workers do not hesitate in killing their opponents for their political ideology.

When political leaders promote violence or make hate speeches against their political opponents, their followers naturally become violent, he said.

The minister said that the political trend of using state apparatus for personal vendetta or political point scoring must be discouraged, otherwise, bullets will rule in the future.

He said that the whole nation is condemning the attack on Imran’s container but at the same time all political parties and leaders should promote the culture of dialogue at every level.

He also said that the whole house must condemn the attack on Imran because he has been the prime minster of the country and an MNA as well.

Speaking on the floor of the house, MNA and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Noor Alam Khan, condemning the incident, inquired from the federal and Punjab government about the compromised security of the PTI chief.

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He said that the country is going through a tough time, but its enemy is busy creating anarchy, therefore, all politicians must sit together across the table for amicable solutions to their problems.

He also condemned the arrest of the former deputy speaker of the Punjab Assembly, Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari, saying that such incidents promote political intolerance.

MNA Ghous Bux Mehar demanded an investigation into the firing incident. MNA Ghulam Mustafa Shah suggested constitution of a commission to inquire from the Punjab government about the security provided to the PTI chief.

Sardar Akhtar Mengal condemned the incident, saying that if the doors for dialogue are closed and abusive language is used against political opponents, then the decisions are made with "bullet, not through ballet”.

He said that democratic parties have only one option, which is dialogue.

Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, leader of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), said that on behalf of his party, he condemns the attack on the former prime minister, adding that such incidents are extremely dangerous for the country.

“If they (PTI) had not distanced themselves from democracy, this incident would not have happened today,” he said, adding that there was no need to bring containers to Islamabad and police from Sindh.

“Problems could be solved through dialogue,” he further said. “Today we are far from Allah's mercy.”

Opposition Leader Ghous Bux Khan Mahar pointed out the quorum and the meeting was adjourned till 11 am on Friday.

With input from APP